


like a land mine underfoot

by uhhherynn



Series: IF WE CLOSE ALL OUR EYES TOGETHER [1]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: A Fair Bit of YELLING, Armpit Kink, Louis gets real dramatic when Liam thinks spanking him would be funny, M/M, Niall has a serious armpit/sweat kink, Niam Oral Sex, Non-Consensual Spanking, Oral Sex, but don't worry it's coming, it's not funny Liam, no anal, sweat kink
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-24
Updated: 2015-02-24
Packaged: 2018-03-14 12:50:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3411257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/uhhherynn/pseuds/uhhherynn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Liam thinks he'll beat Louis at his own game by dishing out a few spanks—he's wrong.</p><p>Niall doesn't see what all the fuss is about, but he thinks Liam stinks—and he LOVES that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	like a land mine underfoot

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my first fic series, ahhh! My resolution for 2015 was to starting writing fan fiction—my goals for self-improvement are very lofty.
> 
> "IF WE CLOSE ALL OUR EYES TOGETHER" is a never-ending smutty series, with a smattering of plot, based around the idea that One Direction are in a polyamorous relationship with each other. Which they are, obviously (except not REALLY, so chill, Modest—this is all just my "imagination"). 
> 
> PS: Everyone in this series is #TeamVers they will ALL top and bottom at some point. They're generous like that.
> 
> (The chapter art is by me, but please hit me up if you know the sources/own the images, I want to give credit where it's due!)

  

 

 

 

 

Even with headphones blaring music into his ears and tucked safely into his bunk, Zayn could still hear Louis torturing Liam in the back lounge. He couldn’t make out specific words, but the taunting sound of Louis easily rose above the music, along with barks of protest and peals of laugher from Liam and Niall respectively.

It had been going on for the better part of an hour—well, Louis had been carrying on even longer than that, but Liam had been bearing the brunt of it since Zayn snuck away. Normally, Zayn was all for Louis’ personal brand of affection, but not tonight. They were all exhausted from jet lag, and that plus three too many red bulls had made Louis manic with a touch of biting too hard. 

Zayn cringed at an especially loud objection from Liam and twisted his body in the direction of the lounge. In his attempt to shed his “sensible” daddy image, Liam often let them (Louis) push teasing beyond where he was really comfortable. Zayn didn’t like that. He grumbled as he crawled out of his warm bunk, ditching his headphones before striding purposefully to the back of the bus.

When he arrived upon the scene, his brows raised as he surveyed what was in front of him. Louis was standing over Liam, knees bracketing the other boy’s chest, and was pulling Liam’s head around by the ears. Liam had sensitive ears—sucking on them was as quick to turn him on as pinching was to upset him—and Louis knew that as well as any of them. Niall was wheezing and red in the face and while Harry was smiling, Zayn noted a tightness to it. He obviously knew Louis was pushing it with Liam but didn’t want to jump in just yet. Zayn frowned; Harry let Louis get away with ev— 

He startled when, with a loud squawk and a flurry of limbs, Louis got dragged down by Liam. The smaller boy was nearly on the floor but mostly over Liam’s lap, and the Wolvo boy had him trapped there with strong arms. His eyebrows nearly shot completely off his face when Liam suddenly started to spank Louis over the black joggers he wore. Stunned and at a loss, Zayn laughed when Harry and Niall did, as they watched Louis flail ineffectively to free himself.

 

*****

 

Louis was a real little shit. 

Liam had grown to love that about him over the years, but some days, Louis still managed to push him too far. Louis had been fixated on Zayn earlier, pulling and poking and otherwise pestering him while he tried to chill and play FIFA with Niall. Eventually, Zayn had retreated to his bunk, and Liam had become the new target for his too-tired-to-sleep frenzied energy. He loved roughhousing, but Louis wasn’t playing fair—Liam wasn’t even getting the chance to breathe, let alone counterattack 

Louis crossed the line, from play-fighting to malicious intent, when he zeroed in on Liam’s ears. His boyfriends had a standing invitation to play with them, as they were so sensitive that any attention was guaranteed to warm his cheeks and/or his groin. Louis had chewed hard on one and then settled for a vice grip on both when Liam tried to shove him away. Niall’s reactive laughter was only spurring Louis on, and Liam’s loud, pain-tinged yelling was having no effect at all.

Liam had had enough. 

He didn’t notice as Zayn joined them in the lounge, coiling before making his move with a surge of energy. He grabbed hold of Louis, dragging the already off balance boy down toward him. Louis yelped and flailed as he attempted to recover, but ended up sprawled mostly across Liam’s lap. He flopped like a fish out of water as he struggled to get his hands and feet underneath himself, but Liam used his superior strength to pin him down. He wasn’t sure where he got the idea to spank Louis, but it sure as hell seemed appropriate. Liam’s grin was instant with validation when the other lads erupted in laughter. 

“If you’re going to behave like a naughty child, I’m going to treat you like one,” Liam taunted Louis, but it was more to earn another round of laughter from Zayn, Niall, and Harry. 

“Fuck you, Liam! Let me go!” 

Louis’ voice was an enraged shriek as Liam continued to spank him, the strike of his hand dull but firm against his jogger-covered bum. Louis was fighting hard and Liam knew being restrained so easily was only adding insult to injury. Exerting his strength like this was more exhilarating than he expected. “One, two, three!” he started counting the spanks, raising his voice to be heard over the screamed obscenities coming from his lap. 

As Louis thrashed in his lap, Liam suddenly became distinctly aware of a hard cock pressing into his leg. He was so caught off guard that the spankings stalled and he accused Louis incredulously, “Are you _hard?_ ”

Any laughter from Zayn, Harry, and Niall died out when his question registered. The lads’ attention took on a different form as all three studied Louis intently for the answer. Their collective surprise was the opportunity Louis needed to break free. Liam didn’t do much to stop him as Louis scrambled to his feet, but he smirked when the extent of Louis’ unexpected erection was revealed.

Liam felt him cock start to thicken, too, when his eyes lifted up to Louis’ face. The little Doncaster firecracker was completely disheveled and flushed, his blue eyes wet and ablaze. Liam blinked—the humiliated rage making Louis tremble only made his cock harder. He took a breath and opened his mouth to speak, but it snapped shut as he braced against the verbal assault that exploded out of Louis. 

“ _Fuck you_ , Liam! I told you to s _top!_ I told you to _let me go,_ you fucking _asshole!_ ” 

If Louis was spitting actual words after that, Liam couldn’t decipher them, because it all came out as a hysterical barrage. He’d squeezed his eyes shut, but they opened when Louis’ rage stuttered with emotion. He couldn’t remember the last time Louis had been this upset—they had wrestled and ended up hard countless times. Liam would be lying to himself if he thought this felt like the same sort of situation, though.

“Louis, Jesus, I didn’t—”

_“Fuck you, Liam!"_

Liam stood up when the first sob choked out of Louis. “Come on, Lou, don’t be dramatic, I was just—”

Calling Louis dramatic was never wise, and surprisingly enough, it didn’t go over any better this time. He grunted as Louis shoved him hard in the chest, taking a step back before sitting down abruptly without much of a choice.

Paddy and Alberto were on Bus 1 with them that night and it was the former who finally came to investigate all the racket.

“Oi! Play nice, lads!” 

The bulky teddy bear of an Irishman rested a hand on Louis’ shoulder only to recoil when the lad turned on him ferociously. “Don’t touch me!” Louis snapped threateningly up at Paddy. The guard was a giant compared to the tiny terrier in front of him, but he backed off. 

Louis’ breath was getting away from him, and he puffed up in front of Paddy as he tried to compose himself. He didn’t spare the others a glance as he stormed from the lounge toward the front of the bus. They were left behind, stunned, and Liam could hear Louis yelling at Don to stop the bus. He wanted off, he wanted to switch buses _now._  

Liam climbed back to his feet to go after him—this was ridiculous!—but he pulled up when Harry put a large hand firmly against his chest. “Don’t,” Harry warned. 

Liam’s brow furrowed. They all leaned on each other in different ways, it’s what made their relationship so strong; Harry’s speciality was stroppy-Louis (possibly because Harry was a Grade A sulker himself). Be it a tantrum over FIFA or homesickness getting the better of him, Louis always ran to Harry first for sympathy and comfort.

 

*****

 

Harry was more irritated with himself than Liam. He knew hours ago that Louis was too overtired to play nice. He’d tried to convince their oldest love to cuddle up in a bunk with him but hadn’t pushed the idea when Louis resisted. A blowjob might have been a more enticing offer, but Harry was tired himself and not in the mood. The guilt was setting in—why had he _laughed_ at all? Louis’ face had been sort of hilarious… but Harry should have stepped in to stop the impending nuclear meltdown. He sure as hell knew Liam going after Louis now would only make things worse. At least this time he acted. 

“Harry!” 

Louis’ cry demanded his attention, and Harry turned his head in its direction only to look back as Liam tried to explain himself.

“I didn’t mean… I was just playing around, I didn’t think…”

Harry gave him a mildly scornful look as he asserted, “You embarrassed him.”

Liam pouted defensively and argued, “But he liked it, he was _hard!_ You saw it!” 

Harry rolled his eyes, taking a step away as Louis called his name again. “I love you, Liam, but you can be so daft about this stuff.” 

He stopped to grab a couple things out of his bunk before joining Louis and Alberto at the front of the bus as they waited for Don to pull over safely. Louis was attached to him the moment he was close, and Harry passed his things to Alberto so he could hold him. He couldn’t make sense of what Louis was hissing into his chest, but stroked his back and shushed him gently, “Lou, please… take a deep breath—there you go.” 

He stood quietly as Louis’ nails dug through his shirt and into his back, whispering into his hair, “It’s alright, you’re alright.” Harry nodded thankfully to Don when the bus finally stopped, prodding Louis to follow Alberto off the bus.

 

*****

 

Liam watched unhappily as Harry walked away and tried to soothe Louis as they left the bus with Alberto. He noticed Paddy settling down at the small dining table and gave him an apologetic look, but the guard shrugged like everything was already forgiven. He caught Zayn by the elbow when the other lad tried to slip past him.

“How badly did I fuck up?" 

Zayn studied him a moment before giving him a small kiss. “Bad, maybe, but Louis gets over things even faster than he… gets under them.”

The two of them shared a stressed laugh, and Liam kissed Zayn again as he whispered a quick, “Love you.”

Their Bradford bad boy nodded a bit and echoed, “Love you. I’m going to get some sleep.” 

Liam sat back down on the couch in the lounge after Zayn made for his bunk. He’d all but forgotten Niall, who had shrank to the back of the lounge when the drama erupted.

“Hey, sorry,” Liam apologized as he scooted along the couch until he was closer to Niall. He wasn’t sure if the Irish lad was upset with him or not, but he risked putting an arm around Niall and was relieved when he leaned in.

“That was nuts,” Niall huffed, succinct but accurate.

“Yeah,” Liam agreed, shaking his head, and he ventured, “Harry thinks Louis threw a strop because he _liked_ it? But I don’t get it, that doesn’t make sense.” 

Niall shrugged against him then bumped their knees together as he admitted, “I liked it, too—but I’m not complaining.”

Liam raised a brow then glanced down and noticed for the first time the distinct line of Niall’s hard cock in his skinny jeans. He laughed and couldn’t believe he was repeating himself from earlier, “Are _you_ hard?”

 

*****

 

Through his hysterical laughter, Niall hand’t been able to perceive how sincere Louis’ shrieks were as Liam spanked him. When Louis had broken free, raging erection on display, Niall assumed their night was going in an exciting direction and instantly had a half-chub himself (he swore erections were contagious or something, like yawns). Much to his dismay, Louis had been hard but also _livid,_ and Niall shied away as the scene escalated in front of him. When Louis had bolted, the crowd in the lounge thinned, and Niall was grateful as his claustrophobia subsided.

He was pleased to find himself tucked under Liam’s arm and smiled cheekily when he was amazed by his state. He palmed himself—yup, still hard, his erections were notoriously persistent. “Weren’t you? Spanking the hell out of Tommo, Jesus! That was fucking hot.” 

He reached to check for himself before Liam could answer, pressing his hand firmly into the other lad’s crotch. Hmm, he was soft, but Niall suspected that wasn’t the case just moments ago.

“I mean, I was a bit, yeah,” Liam confirmed his suspicions, although seemed to be holding back. Niall didn’t press; he didn’t like to press, he preferred to let his boyfriends share when they were comfortable, and it seemed to be working out alright that way.

“Was I out of line?” 

Niall felt a pang of sympathy over the worry in Liam’s voice (although his damn boner didn’t care one bit and continued to throb in the confines of his skinnies).

“Nah,” he assured him with a gentle head butt. “Louis is just… you know how he is, he can’t take it half as good as he can give it.” Liam rolled his eyes at that because fuck if it wasn’t true. 

“You alright?” Niall asked Liam as he unzipped his pants and started to fish his cock out. “Is _this_ out of line?”

Liam laughed again and watched as Niall freed his erection finally. “No, it’s not, you horny bastard.”

Niall grinned as Liam teased him, running a dry hand up the length of his dick to revel in its new freedom. With Liam’s arm up and around him, Niall could easily smell the sweat concentrated in his pit. Liam was by far the smelliest of them, B.O. wise, and Niall guessed he hadn’t showered that day. No doubt the excitement of fighting with Louis and the resulting confrontation had brought on a fresh coat, too.

Niall bit his lip. He was obsessed; the acrid, salty smell of sweat was probably his biggest kink. He hadn’t considered the why of it—when Harry or Liam came off a workout, his cock hardened at the smell of them, and why question that? Anything that gave him an instant chubby was great craic, in his opinion.

The deep breaths he was pulling in through his nose must have given him away, because Liam leaned back to pull his t-shirt off. Niall flashed him a wide smile as Liam lifted his arm and exposed his pit properly to him. He caught Liam smiling back just before burying his face in the warm, furry nook. Niall took a deep breath before flattening his tongue into Liam’s pit and licking through the damp hair. He shuddered at the vaguely sour taste on his tongue, squeezing his dick with his hand reflexively. 

He brought his hand up to spit into it then eased his foreskin back enough to swipe his wet palm across the exposed head. Niall took another deep breath of Liam’s pit as he stroked down to his root, groaning, “Fucking hell, Payno, you smell rank.”

“You’re the only one who would say that as a compliment.” 

Niall heard some movement ahead of them, probably Paddy. “Shit,” he hissed, reluctantly leaning his face out of Liam’s pit to look at him and request, “Get the door?”

It wouldn't do much for sound, but neither of them were serious screamers. At least this way Paddy wouldn’t look back on them and go blind. Liam obliged and got up to close it, taking the opportunity to undo his jeans and let them fall around his thighs as he turned back to Niall.

Niall hummed eagerly at the sight of Liam’s half-hard cock, wanting to feel its heaviness in his mouth. He made comedic grabby hands, and they both laughed as Liam awkwardly shuffled closer, hindered by the jeans around his thighs.

Once Liam was close enough, Niall ran a hand over his furry belly before sliding both over Liam’s hips and back to his ass. He leaned in, brushing his nose through Liam’s dark pubic hair before nuzzling his face into the crook of his thigh, next to his stiffening cock. He inhaled deeply, revelling in the sweaty and particularly pungent smell there, and reached to seize his own dick again with his right hand.

He brought his left around from Liam’s ass to grab his cock, giving it a few tugs to make him grunt. His damned gag reflex made blowjobs a challenge, and deep throating was completely impossible. He’d long since given up on getting rid of it, too. Harry, their crowned champion of cock-sucking, had given him all sorts of tips, but every one failed. The gag reflex remained, and now Niall couldn’t stomach bananas.

Niall liked to think he made up for a lack of finesse with endless enthusiasm and superb foreskin play. He wet his lips as he slid to his knees on the floor. He gathered Liam’s foreskin so he could work his tongue inside the sensitive skin, teasing his cock-head and especially the slit. The shudder that ran through Liam made his hips wiggle. Feeling validated, he took a breath before sucking Liam down, gagging horribly after only a few inches. He persisted, though, backing off only to try again and again.

 

*****

 

Niall’s gags got wetter and louder as they went on and it was driving Liam mental—in the best way possible, of course. He took Niall by the head, careful not to grab his hair (Niall swore the bleach had permanently traumatized his scalp—hair pulling was painful and strictly off limits), and started to shallowly thrust his hips just enough to fuck Niall’s mouth. The bottle blonde choked hard as he did, but then hummed loudly with excitement, and Liam could tell Niall’s hand was working fast.

Liam held fast when Niall tried to pull off, but then released him when he fought the hold. He bit his lip, feeling Niall’s warm breath against his thigh as he huffed in his pubes. It tickled terribly, which was why Louis never tolerated Niall nosing around in his nooks and crannies. Liam gnawed his lip and held still, though, reaching to stroke his cock, slick with Niall’s spit. 

“Swear I feel it in my fucking balls when I smell you.”

Niall’s voice was cock-rough and excessively Irish, and it made Liam grunt. His hand accelerated as his grip tightened around his dick. He shifted his weight, trying to rein himself in as he felt his orgasm building. He had his head tilted backward, but he dipped it down to check on Niall. The blonde was sat back on his haunches, eyes closed and hand jerking fast.  

Liam marvelled at the pink flashing of Niall’s cock-head as his foreskin slid back and forth. Niall’s points were all impossibly pink; his nipples, the head of his dick—and his hole was the pinkest of all. “It’s like a Barbie dream house,” Louis had drunkenly slurred one night through a fit of laugher. Louis had too many sisters.

Liam nearly started to laugh at the memory, but he grunted instead and took a step forward to stroke the tip of his cock against Niall’s wet lips. He smiled when those blue eyes popped open to look at him, groaning appreciatively when Niall started to nurse on his head. 

The eye contact was enough to do him in, and Liam took a deep breath. “I’m gonna fucking come, Niall.”

The lad at his feet shifted eagerly, doing his best to swallow Liam’s length down a bit more. Liam squeezed his eyes shut as his orgasm came over him, forcing a few spurts of thick cum out of him, his abs contracting repeatedly. 

“You’re a lot fucking better at that than you think, babe,” he panted. Niall definitely didn’t give himself enough credit in the cock-sucking department.

 

*****

 

Liam’s cock fell from his mouth, and Niall worked his tongue through his warm cum. He chuckled at the compliment, distracted, as he focused his efforts on his own orgasm. He leaned back on his legs, grateful to feel the edge of the couch against his back for support. 

He glanced up as Liam sat down on the couch next to him, eyes lighting up when Liam leaned forward and offered his pit. The angle was awkward, Niall craning his neck to get his face in Liam’s pit, but it was fucking worth it. 

The smell of sex was by far Niall’s favourite—the sweat was always heavy with testosterone and the passion of it all. He licked messily at Liam’s hairy pit, and the salty taste on his tongue was the final push he needed. He switched suddenly from his right hand to his left, his biggest tell that he was about to come. Shouting a string of curses, and possibly a limerick, he lost himself in it.

There was always a delay of several seconds between his orgasm hitting him and actual ejaculation, and he looked down towards his cock. He wagered the delay was like his body loading a canon, because ever since he was a wee boy, his cum shots were excessive in both volume and distance.

His mouth fell open as the first string of cum shot from him, lacing the bus floor a couple metres in front of them, easily. He smiled at Liam’s impressed whoop, his body jumping as he continued to coat the floor in long tendrils of cum. (Don was going to kill him if he didn’t remember to clean it all up. He may have forgotten once or twice in the past—ten times, max.)

Niall shuddered as the last of it left him, squeezing down this length as if to wring himself out. “Fuck.”

 

***

 

“That will never stop being fucking hot,” Liam concluded as he tilted Niall’s head back so he could kiss him. He swore he could taste himself on Niall’s tongue, and it made him groan and harden the kiss. When he pulled free, he got his arms under Niall’s and helped him back up onto the couch. The two of them cuddled together for a few minutes, kissing while Niall had post-coital giggles over nothing in particular, which made Liam laugh, too. 

Liam pulled away eventually, getting to his feet and stretching his spent muscles. “I’m going to shower real fast,” he said, knowing Niall wouldn’t bother. “Beers and FIFA when I’m done?” 

“Yeah, that’d be good craic!” Niall answered, nodding (Liam had yet to figure out how to use that word properly). “I hope we have paper towel…” he added as he cringed at the situation on the floor. Liam only barked a laugh as he slipped out the door.

Liam made a pit stop at Zayn’s bunk, drawing the curtain back to check if he was sleeping, which he was. Liam bent down and carefully removed Zayn’s headphones, which were pushed mostly off his head and tangled around one of his arms. He did his best to free him, stilling when Zayn started to stir and his eyes blinked half open. Liam didn’t think he was really awake, but gently scratched the scruff under Zayn’s chin as he whispered, “Go back to sleep.” Zayn took a deep breath and sighed it out as he shifted in the small space, eyes falling shut again. 

Liam smiled fondly, letting his fingers ghost down Zayn’s throat and over his chest before straightening back up. He stripped most of his clothes off outside the tiny bathroom before stepping in and getting the shower going. He paused as Niall passed by, snorting a laugh when he heard him asking Paddy if they had paper towel. “Did you spill something?” 

_Why_ did Paddy even ask?

 

***

 

Louis hadn’t bothered to put shoes on before following Alberto off the bus. He hissed as the gravel crunched painfully underneath his feet, trying to pick his way delicately. He was surprised and whined in protest when Harry suddenly picked him up. As the smallest, the boys all liked to pick him up, and on principal he pretended to hate it, but (not so) secretly he reveled in the special attention. “You’re going to hurt your feet,” Harry shot down his objections.

He rested his head against Harry’s chest as he carried him towards the second bus waiting for them, lifting it again to look over his shoulder as Don pulled Bus 1 back onto the highway. He’d demanded to be let off, but watching the other bus pull away with Zayn and Niall, even stupid Liam—he didn’t want them to go. He felt his eyes burn as the tears came, reaching up quickly to wipe them roughly with a sweater-paw. 

Louis whined as Harry put him down so they could get on the bus, shaking his head and bleating into Harry’s neck, “Wanna talk to you.”

He kept his face hidden as Harry told Alberto to get on the bus and that they’d be on in just a minute. Once Alberto was gone, Louis pulled back to look up at Harry, his face crumpling under the emotion as their eyes met. Now that they were alone, he let the tears really come, choking on a sob. Harry took his face in his hands, wiping at his tears and shushing him.

“Liam is so d-dumb.”

“He’s dumb _all_ the time, and you still love him,” Harry countered, wrapping an arm around him. Louis swallowed when Harry asked, “Why are you so upset?”

Liam _was_ dumb all the time, and he loved him _so_ much, but no one was allowed to _humiliate_ him like that. The embarrassment and helplessness had infuriated him, but the arousal was completely unexpected—the disagreement between his dick and mind had freaked him the fuck out. Safe in one of his love’s arms, he hiccuped through the tears and confessed the obvious, whispering, “The spanking turned me on.”

Harry pulled back enough to look down at him, smiling as he reassured him, “What’s wrong with that? Spanking turns a lot of people on.”

Louis pouted and reached up to poke at Harry’s dimple, insisting, “But _I’m_ not one of those people.”

He was distantly aware that he was being contradictory, but that was like a hobby of his, and Harry didn’t question him. Louis took a deep breath and felt fresh tears welling in his eyes, glancing in the direction the other bus went as he sniffed, “Everyone is going to be mad at me.” Normally irritating everyone around him was one of his _other_ hobbies, but he liked to do that on his own terms—the tantrum on the bus wasn’t on his terms at all, he’d completely lost control. He’d screamed at _Paddy and Don_ , for Christ’s sake, what the hell was wrong with him? 

 

***

 

Harry sighed as Louis started to cry again, hugging him tightly and kissing his hair. “They’re not going to be mad at you—you’re just super tired and that makes us all crazy,” he tried to reassure him as he squinted into the headlights of an oncoming car. “Come on the bus, we can cuddle and watch a movie, ok?”

He was relieved when he felt Louis nod. The older boy was obviously feeling the crash after all the adrenaline, and Harry was grateful it made him more cooperative—although all the tears were killing him.

He helped Louis up the stairs and gave an appreciate look to Lou and the other crew when they didn’t ask questions. They’d obviously cleared out of the lounge to give them space, and Harry made a mental note to thank them all tomorrow. The five of them had an exceptionally solid relationship, but it still had its ups and downs, and that wasn’t always easy on the people around them. 

Harry sat Louis on the couch and grabbed a nearby blanket, covering him before taking a minute to put some silly rom-com on the TV.

“Do you want some tea?” Harry asked. He nodded when Louis said please, leaving the lounge and going to the small kitchen to make some.

“Is Louis alright?” Lou asked worriedly as she leaned against the counter. “Alberto said he and Liam got in a fight.” 

Harry took a breath, debating how much to tell her. He picked his way through an explanation awkwardly. “Yeah, they did—he’s ok, it’ll be fine—he’s just exhausted, and I think he drank at least five red bulls his afternoon. 

Lou shook her head and said with a sly smile, “Lux is the same way if I let her have sugar when she’s tired.” 

Harry snorted a laugh at the comparison and gave Lou a smile before she walked away. He picked up the cup of tea only to nearly slop it everywhere when he turned around and almost collided with Alberto.

“What happened?” the guard demanded, his tone had a worried edge. 

Harry gave him a look and stammered, “You don’t want to—Liam just… Liam tried to beat Louis at his own game, is all, and you know how that goes.”  

Alberto pursed his lips and pressed him, “Paddy said it was getting physical.” 

Harry cringed. Their squabbles did sometimes involve shoving, and that always seemed to rankle Alberto, bless him. “Liam wasn’t hurt, none of us would ever—” Harry tried to argue, but Alberto cut him off.

“Accidents happen, Harry.” 

Harry took a deep breath. Alberto was bordering on having an opinion about the way they conducted their relationship, and that made him uncomfortable. Their relationship was an unusual thing, in an extraordinary circumstance, and they’d long since closed ranks on outside “advice” and resistance. Alberto was also completely right, though; they’d never hurt each other on purpose, but they couldn’t afford an accident.  

“You’re right,” Harry allowed, but didn’t offer anything more, and Alberto seemed to accept that.

Louis was on the verge of falling asleep when Harry came back into the lounge, but he perked up enough to take his cup of tea. “Thank you,” he murmured as Harry got under the blanket and cuddled close.

They watched quietly, and Harry thought Louis was drifting off after he finished his tea, until he mumbled, “I’m still mad at Liam.” 

Harry sighed. “You should talk to him tomorrow.” 

Harry wasn’t sure why he bothered to say that—he knew Liam and Louis were going to have a discussion about what happened, but he doubted it would involve many words.

 


End file.
